Petite Crisis

Picture this: You’re in a store looking for a new pair of jeans- the ones with the baggy legs with the vintage flair, the ones from the magazine that everyone is wearing. You find some in your normal size and go to the fitting room. You pull them on and they’re perfect, until you look down at your feet and they’re doing the thing. You know, that thing when pants are too long and the hems curve under the heels of your feet.

If you’re a petite gal like me, you know the struggle of the thing all too well. You could shop for petite clothes, but the handful of retailers who carry them only have a limited number of options. You could have your clothes tailored, but who has the time (or money) for that? While shopping online might seem like the feasible solution to the problem, having clothes that fit is key to making any wardrobe look effortless and there’s no sure way of knowing whether something fits until you have tried it on.

I used to detest shopping out of frustration of being short until I learned to love myself for the petite woman I am (and you should, too)!

Over the past few years I have sought out tried and true ways to embrace my petite frame in ways that make me feel confident and look good. Below are some of my tips and tricks, but remember: You can wear anything you want, any way you want. There are no rules in fashion!

Breaking the bottoms down:

To give the illusion of having mile-long legs, high-waisted pants are your best friend (and they can also suck in muffin tops, a double win). Pair shorts or short skirts with tights of the same color to give the same effect. Pairing bottoms with a shoe of the same color gives extra length to your frame and looks super sleek. See my photo for how I styled this trick.

When choosing bottoms, it’s important to understand cropped pants equals full-length pants for us. Opt for your size in a short option for these styles- just because they’re full-length, doesn’t mean they fit!

The raw hem style that is trendy right now looks cool and offers a short girl hack. If there are no short styles available in your size, you can cut the bottoms with a pair of fabric scissors where you want them to end. Voila!

Choosing the rest:

When choosing the rest of your outfit, it’s important to think about balance. You want to look put-together, not like you’re drowning in a sack of polyester. Wearing oversize clothing is possible if you take balance into consideration. For example, wearing an oversize peasant top with voluminous sleeves looks very trendy when paired with slim pants or pencil skirts (bonus points for the high waist)! The same goes for the bottoms, a wide cut skirt looks great with a fitted blouse or shirt.

While I’m on the topic of over-sized apparel, I will give you the most important piece of advice in this whole article: Step away from the bag that’s larger than your torso! I had a bag like this when I was in high school and I feel like a baby carrying my own diaper bag when I pick it up now. Speaking of bags, what is with those cross-body bags? I will adjust mine as far as it will go and it still likes to hang all the way down to my thighs. What do I do to fix it? I just tie a knot at the shoulder to hoist it up to where it’s supposed to lay.

Being short is not a curse; I know, it feels like it at times when you’re shopping for jeans. The world we live in today is so diverse, and inclusivity for every body type is on the rise. So many stores are finally getting the memo and shopping is becoming fun again! Hopefully my tips and tricks are helpful, but whether you choose to follow them or not is perfectly OK- Fashion is supposed to be fun!